System and method for handling data captured by a body worn camera

ABSTRACT

A system and method for handling data captured by a body worn camera are disclosed. The system may include a body worn camera, a docking station, and a recorder. The camera may include a local storage device. The docking station may include a data interface for connecting the local storage device to the docking station, and a first network interface for connecting the docking station to the recorder. The docking station may be physically separate from the recorder. The recorder may include a second network interface for connecting the recorder to the docking station, and a recorder storage device. The recorder may be arranged to retrieve the captured data from the camera and store it in the recorder storage device, and may include a third network interface for transfer of stored data to a data management system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/281,463,filed Feb. 21, 2019, which claims priority to European PatentApplication No. 18162615.1, filed Mar. 19, 2018, both of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a system and method for handling datacaptured using a body worn camera. The captured data may be video data,as well as other data, such as audio data or meta data.

BACKGROUND

Body worn cameras are used, e.g., by police officers, for capturingvideo and other data during patrols and incidents. Such cameras may alsobe referred to as wearable cameras. Captured data may subsequently beneeded as evidence when investigating crimes and prosecuting suspectedcriminals. In order to preserve such evidence, a data management system,such as a video management system or an evidence management system maybe used. Such data management systems generally provide storage ofcaptured data, and also viewing of the captured data, either in realtime or as a playback of recorded data. Depending on the sophisticationof the data management system, it may provide possibilities of linkingdata of many types to a case. For instance, video data of the sameincident may have been captured by several cameras, body worn cameras aswell as fixedly mounted surveillance cameras. Further, audio data mayhave been captured by some or all of those cameras, as well as by otheraudio devices. The video and audio data may be tagged, automaticallyand/or manually with meta data, e.g., geographical coordinatesindicating where the data were captured. Additionally, physical evidencecollected at a crime scene may be catalogued in the data managementsystem, and documents about the case may be stored or referenced. Thedata management system may provide means of verifying the authenticityof video data and other data stored in the data management system.

There are different ways of transferring captured data from a body worncamera to the data management system. Some systems rely on more or lesscontinuous wireless transfer of data from the camera to the datamanagement system, e.g., located on a server in the police station. Somesystems have docking stations, in which police officers returning to thepolice station place their body worn cameras for charging and datatransfer. The docking station transfers the captured data from thecameras to the data management system, where it is stored for later useas evidence.

Each of these known approaches have advantages, but also disadvantages.For instance, continuous wireless transfer, over a mobile network orWi-Fi, is vulnerable if the network connection fails. As the localstorage capacity of the body worn camera is limited, it is necessary toensure that data is securely transferred before it is overwritten by newcaptured data. In the docking station scenario, the data managementsystem is generally not located in the same device as the dockingstation, meaning that also here, the system is dependent on a reliablenetwork connection between the docking station and the data managementsystem, or else valuable data may be lost. Further, the docking stationis a relatively expensive component of the system, as it includescomponents for data transfer and storage, and as it needs to be robustfor ensuring secure storage of data. Chargers of docking stations areprone to be worn by use, and eventually need to be replaced, therebynecessitating purchase of a new docking station. If the docking stationand data management system are integrated in the same device, there is asecurity risk if the docking station is placed in an accessible areawhere it risks being stolen or sabotaged.

There is thus a need for improved methods and systems for handling datacaptured by body worn cameras.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system forhandling data captured by a body worn camera, which enables securestorage of the data. It is also an object of the invention to provide asystem that is flexible regarding the number of body worn camerassupported by the system. Another object is to provide a system that iscost effective and easy to use.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method of handlingdata captured by a body worn camera that enables safe and secure storageof the data. A further object is to provide a method that is easilyscalable, easy to use, and cost effective.

According to a first aspect, these and other objects are achieved, infull or at least in part, by a system for handling data captured by abody worn camera, the system comprising: a body worn camera, a dockingstation, and a recorder, wherein: the camera comprises a local storagedevice, the docking station comprises a data interface for connectingthe local storage device to the docking station, the docking stationcomprises a first network interface for connecting the docking stationto the recorder, the recorder comprises a second network interface forconnecting the recorder to the docking station, the docking station isphysically separate from the recorder, the recorder comprises a recorderstorage device, the recorder is arranged to retrieve the captured datafrom the camera and store it in the recorder storage device, therecorder comprises a third network interface for transfer of stored datato a data management system, and the recorder comprises a cameraconfiguration module for configuring operational parameters of thecamera. With such a system, it is possible to use a docking station withminimal or no intelligence, only providing a connector necessary forbeing able to transfer data from the camera to the recorder. The dockingstation may thereby be made quite inexpensive, making it possible tohave as many docking station as necessary or convenient for the numberof body worn cameras used. Further, the cost of replacing a worn outdocking station may be kept low. Additionally, a low cost dockingstation with minimal intelligence makes it relatively safe to keep thedocking station in an easily accessible area, where users of the bodyworn cameras can easily place and retrieve the body worn cameras, suchas in an open office area of a police station. The cost of making anessentially “dumb” docking station rugged is also lower than it would beto make a more sophisticated docking station including storage rugged.Cameras that have recently been used and are placed in the dockingstation may be dirty and wet, making it necessary to design the dockingstation with IP rated protection against particles and liquids. Theincorporation of a recorder for intermediate storage of captured datamakes the system more secure and reliable. The docking station may beconnected to the recorder over a local area network, or LAN for short,e.g., using an Ethernet cable. Even if the docking station is placed inan easily accessible area, the recorder may be placed in a secure area,such as a locked server room. In this way, data stored in the recordermay be kept safe. Further, by using an intermediate storage in therecorder, the system is not as vulnerable to network failure andproblems with network capacity as prior art systems. Data captured bythe body worn camera is retrieved by the recorder from the camera andstored in the recorder storage device. The data management system, suchas a video management system or an evidence management system, may thenrequest stored data from the recorder. In this manner, even if theconnection to the data management system were to fail, no data would belost, as it would already be stored in the recorder. The use of aseparate recorder, that is arranged to retrieve data from the body worncamera in the docking station, makes it possible to have a passivedocking station, with little or no intelligence, only providing thenecessary interface or connectors for allowing transfer of data from thecamera to the recorder. This in turn makes the system flexible in termsof the number of body worn cameras it can support. As many dockingstations as necessary may be used in the system without adding muchcost. One recorder may serve several docking stations. As the dockingstation is more prone to wear than the recorder, it is advantageous thatreplacement of a docking station need not entail high cost. Further, byusing a recorder for intermediate storage of captured data, the systemmay be made flexible in terms of what data management system may beused. Many prior art systems are integrated in a way that they tie theuser to one specific data management system, and if the user desires touse another data management system, the entire system, includingcameras, needs to be replaced. The recorder may use one or more openlyavailable communication protocols, such that any data management systemmay be used for viewing and retaining captured data. The recorder mayallow installation of applications for supporting one or more particulardata management systems. As noted above, the recorder comprises a cameraconfiguration module for configuring operational parameters of thecamera. Operational parameters may be parameters such as resolution orframe rate at which video is captured, how light indicators on thecamera are to be used, if the user is allowed to turn of recording ornot, if the camera is to operate in so called stealth mode with nooutward signs of recording, if audio is to be captured or not, etc.

It should be pointed out that as used herein, the term “body worncamera” refers to a type of camera that is suitable for wearing on thebody, and it is not limited to the situation when the camera is actuallyworn on the body. Thus, when the camera is removed from the body of theuser, and placed in the docking station, it is still a body worn camera.This type of camera may also be referred to as a wearable camera.Although the description of the invention will mainly make reference touse by the police, such cameras may find use in many fields. In some ofthose fields, such as for police and other first responders, it isimportant to retain data for later use as evidence or for otherinvestigations. Still, body worn or wearable cameras may also be used,e.g., in sports, in health care, in elderly care, in child care, or inpet monitoring, and also there, the user may have a desire to safely andeasily save the captured data for later review.

The system may further comprise the data management system, wherein thedata management system is a video management system or an evidencemanagement system. Many video management systems and evidence managementsystems are available and may be chosen based on the needs of the usersof the system. Regardless of what data management system is used, it isadvantageous to be able to ensure that captured data is safely stored.

In some embodiments of the system, the camera comprises a chargeablebattery, and the docking station comprises a charging interface forcharging the camera battery. In this manner, the camera may be chargedat the same time as captured data is transferred to the recorder.

The recorder may be arranged to initiate erasing of the local storagedevice upon determining that the captured data has been stored in therecorder storage device. By erasing data from the camera only when ithas been ensured that the data is safely stored for later use, loss ofdata may be avoided. Further, by automatically erasing data from thecamera once the data has been stored in the recorder, the camera is madeready for new use.

Transfer of data from the recorder to the data management system may beinitiated in one of several ways. For instance, the recorder may bearranged to transfer stored data to the data management system upondetermining that new data has been stored. In this manner, as soon ascaptured data has been transferred to the recorder, transfer of thosedata to the data management system may be initiated, such that the datamanagement system is always up to date. This also minimises the riskthat the recorder storage device becomes full before all data has beentransferred to the data management system.

Alternatively or additionally, the recorder may be arranged to transferstored data upon request from the data management system. In this way,data may be transferred when the data management system is ready toreceive it, thereby avoiding trying to transfer data when the datamanagement system is busy or unavailable.

Alternatively or additionally, the recorder may be arranged to transferstored data to the data management system based on a time schedule.Thereby, data transfer may be scheduled for times of the day or the weekwhen there is more available capacity in the network connecting therecorder to the data management system.

In some embodiments, the recorder may also be used for devicemanagement, such as registering a new body worn camera in the system orassigning body worn cameras to different users or user groups. Therecorder may provide an easy to use interface for configuration anddevice management, which may be impractical to perform locally on thecamera or remotely in the data management system. The recorder may alsobe used for managing users and user groups.

The recorder may comprise a camera upgrade module for upgrading softwareand/or firmware of the camera. Similar to the configuration module, thecamera upgrade module may provide an easy to use interface for upgradingthe camera when new firmware or software is available.

In some embodiments, the recorder comprises a health monitoring modulefor monitoring at least one health indicator of the camera. The healthindicator may for example be a status of a chargeable battery in thecamera. Thereby, the user may be alerted if the battery is starting tolose capacity and will need to be replaced soon.

According to a second aspect, the abovementioned objects are achieved,in full or at least in part, by a method for handling data captured by abody worn camera, the method comprising the steps of: connecting thecamera to a data interface of a docking station, connecting the dockingstation to a physically separate recorder, transferring captured datafrom the camera to the recorder, storing the captured data in therecorder, transferring stored data from the recorder to a datamanagement system via a network interface of the recorder, the methodfurther comprising configuring, using the recorder, operationalparameters of the camera. With such a method, it is possible to ensuresafe and secure storage of captured data. By intermediate storage ofcaptured data in the recorder, network failure between the camera andthe data management system is of less concern than in prior art systems.Additionally, the requirements on network capacity and bandwidth forconnection to the data management system is not as critical. As earliermentioned, operational parameters may be parameters such as resolutionor frame rate at which video is captured, how light indicators on thecamera are to be used, if the user is allowed to turn recording off ornot, if the camera is to operate in so called stealth mode with nooutward signs of recording, if audio is to be captured or not, etc.

The method may further comprise: connecting the camera to a charginginterface of the docking station, and charging a chargeable battery ofthe camera. Hereby, simultaneous charging and data transfer may beachieved, thereby saving time for the user.

In some variants, the method further comprises erasing captured datafrom the camera upon determining that the captured data has been storedin the recorder. It may in this way be ensured that the camera is madeready for new use, while also ensuring that no captured data is lost.

The recorder may also be used for device management, such as registeringa new body worn camera in the system or assigning body worn cameras todifferent users or user groups. The recorder may provide an easy to useinterface for configuration and device management, which may beimpractical to perform locally on the camera or remotely in the datamanagement system.

The method may further comprise upgrading, using the recorder, firmwareor software of the camera.

A further scope of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description given below. However, it shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way ofillustration only, since various changes and modifications within thescope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the artfrom this detailed description.

Hence, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to theparticular component parts of the device described or steps of themethods described as such device and method may vary. It is also to beunderstood that the terminology used herein is for purpose of describingparticular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. It mustbe noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claim, thearticles “a”, “an”, “the”, and “said” are intended to mean that thereare one or more of the elements unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “an object” or “the object”may include several objects, and the like. Furthermore, the word“comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example andwith reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an inventive system,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of components that may be used in thesystem of FIG. 1 ,

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a variant of an inventive method for handlingdata captured by a body worn camera, and

FIG. 4 , is a block diagram of a recorder of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a system 1 for handling data captured by abody worn camera. The system 1 comprises a body worn camera 2, a dockingstation 3, a recorder 4, and a data management system 5. The camera 2has a local storage device 6, which may be in the form of an SD cardreader and an SD card. The docking station 3 has a data interface 7 forconnecting the local storage device 6 of the camera 2 to the dockingstation 3. Further, the docking station 3 has a first network interface8 for connecting the docking station 3 to the recorder 4.

The recorder 4 has a second network interface 9 for connecting therecorder 4 to the docking station 3. Additionally, the recorder 4 has arecorder storage device 10. The recorder storage device 10 may, forinstance, be a hard disk drive. The recorder 4 is arranged to retrievethe captured data from the camera 2 and store them in the recorderstorage device 10, as will be discussed in further detail later. Therecorder 4 also has a third network interface 11 for transfer of storeddata to the data management system 5. The second network interface 9 andthe third network interface 11 may be two logically different interfacesarranged in one and the same physical interface. However, for achievinga high data capacity for transfer from the camera 2 to the recorder, itwill generally be beneficial to have the second and third networkinterfaces 9, 11 arranged as physically separate components, especiallyif the docking station can house several cameras 2 at a time. This willalso make it possible to provide high data capacity for transfer of datafrom the recorder to the data management system 5.

In FIG. 2 , examples of the components of the system 1 may be seen inperspective view.

Further details of the system, as well as methods of handling datacaptured by the body worn camera 2 will be described in the following.

The body worn camera 2 may, for instance, be used by a police officer.On patrols, the police officer may use the camera 2 for continuousrecording. However, continuous recording requires high capacity of thelocal storage device, and most of the time the captured data will not beof much interest. Therefore, it is usually preferable to record only ondemand. To this end, the camera 2 has an activation button 21, which thepolice officer can easily activate and deactivate when desired. Thecamera may also have sensors, such as an accelerometer and a gyro (notshown), which may be used for automatic activation of recording based onmovement of the camera 2, indicating movement of the police officer. Forinstance, if the police officer starts to run, recording may be started,as running may indicate that the police officer is in pursuit of asuspect. Recording may also be started if the police officer falls, suchas in the case of injury or ducking for cover. When the work shift isover, the police officer returns to the police station, takes off thecamera 2, and places it in a slot 31 of the docking station 3. Thecamera 2 is thereby connected to the data interface 7 and to a charginginterface 32 in the docking station 3. Hereby, a battery 22 in thecamera 2 starts charging. Via a LAN 12, the docking station 3 isconnected to the recorder 4. This may be achieved by establishing anEthernet connection, e.g., by connecting an Ethernet cable, between thefirst network interface 8 of the docking station 3 and the secondnetwork interface 9 of the recorder 4. The LAN 12 may also be moreextensive, including a switch (not shown) for enabling connection ofother devices. The recorder 4 can now pull captured data from the localstorage device 6 of the camera 2, and store the data in the recorderstorage device 10. Once the recorder 4 has determined that it has storedall the captured data that were recorded in the local storage device 6,the recorder 4 sends a signal to the camera 2, instructing the camera 2to erase the captured data from the local storage device 6. Thereby, thelocal storage device 6 is ready to be used for recording on a new workshift. As soon as the battery 22 is charged, the camera 2 is then readyfor use.

By storing the captured data in the recorder storage device 10, thecaptured data is safely retained, even if the connection to the datamanagement system 5 should fail.

The recorder 4 may push stored data to the data management system 5 assoon as it has been stored in the recorder storage device. It is alsopossible to have the data management system 5 pull stored data from therecorder storage device 10 when the data management system 5 requiresthe data. It is also possible to set up a schedule for pushing orpulling stored data from the recorder storage device 10 to the datamanagement system 5, such that data transfer between the recorder 4 andthe data management system 5 is performed at times of little other datatraffic.

The data management system 5 may be installed on a server located in thepolice station or remotely. No matter what approach is used fortransferring stored data from the recorder 4 to the data managementsystem 5, the recorder 4 may be connected by the third network interface11 to the data management system 5 via a wired or wireless network 13.This network 13 may be a local or wide area network, and it may be theinternet. Once the data has reached the data management system 5, it maybe stored there in addition to in the recorder 4. The stored data in therecorder 4 may be retained for a predetermined period of time. It isalso possible to have the data management system 5 transmit a signal tothe recorder 4 when it has been determined that the stored data has beensafely received and stored in the data management system 5, such thatthe stored data may be erased or overwritten in the recorder storagedevice 10 without loss of data. The recorder 4 may transfer data toseveral data management systems, e.g., for backup.

The method by which the system may be operated will now be summarisedwith reference to FIG. 3 . In step S1, the body worn camera 2 isconnected to a data interface 7 of a docking station 3. In step S2, thedocking station 3 is connected to a recorder 4. This may have been donebefore the camera 2 is connected to the data interface 7. In step S3,captured data is transferred from the camera 2 to the recorder 4. Instep S4, the captured data is stored in the recorder 4. In step S5, thestored data is transferred from the recorder 4 to a data managementsystem 5 via a network interface 11 of the recorder 4.

With reference to FIG. 4 , some additional possibilities that may beprovided by the recorder 4 will be discussed. The recorder may providean interface for device management, for firmware and software upgrading,and for health monitoring. To this end, the recorder 4 in the exampleshown has a camera configuration module 41 for configuring operationalparameters of the camera 2. Using the configuration module 41, the ownerof the system 1 may register new body worn cameras in the system,register new users in the system, assign users to user groups, assigncameras to users or user groups, set parameters for capturing, such asframe rate and resolution, set parameters for recordings, such aspre-buffer time, set rules for how indicators on the camera are to beused and how the camera is to indicate that recording has started, rulesfor whether the user is allowed to switch recording off, rules forwhether audio is to be recorded, etc. It may be more practical to makesuch configuration in a user interface provided by the recorder than todo this in a user interface provided by the cameras themselves. Forinstance, the configuration module 41 may allow configuring severalcameras at once, making it unnecessary for the system owner to accessone camera at a time for configuration. The recorder 4 may keep adatabase of cameras, users, user groups, etc. Additionally oralternatively, such a database may be kept in the data management systemand be accessed and updated by the recorder 4. Additionally oralternatively, such a database may be kept in a separate devicemanagement system stored locally in the recorder or on a remote server.The recorder may access and update the device management database asnecessary.

In the example shown, the recorder 4 also has a camera upgrade module 42for upgrading software and/or firmware of the camera. The camera upgrademodule of the recorder 4 may periodically check if there is new softwareor firmware available for the cameras 2 in the system 1, download thesoftware or firmware, and provide it to the cameras 2 for installation.This may be done while the cameras are being charged in the dockingstation 3. Hereby, the cameras may be kept up to date in a convenientway. Checking for new firmware or software, and installation on thecameras may be automated, but it is also possible to provide a userinterface by which a user or owner of the system 1 may initiate upgradesmanually.

Further, the recorder 4 shown has a health monitoring module 43 formonitoring at least one health indicator of the camera 2. Such a healthindicator may be a status of the battery 22. In this way, the healthmonitoring module 43 may alert the user of a camera 2 or the owner ofthe system 1 when the battery 22 has lost a predetermined portion of itscapacity, such that the battery 22 may be replaced before it loses somuch capacity that it will not last a work shift. The health monitoringmodule 43 may also monitor the status of the local storage device 6. Ifan SD card is used for local storage, it will generally be useful for alimited number of cycles of writing and erasing captured data. Thehealth monitoring module 43 may simply keep track of the number of timesthe SD card of an individual camera 2 has been rewritten and alert theuser of the camera 2 or the owner of the system 3 when it is nearingtime to replace the SD card. In other embodiments, the health monitoringmodule 43 may run a test on the SD card at each reading and erasing ofcaptured data to determine the status of the SD card. The healthmonitoring module 43 may with these approaches reduce the risk of dataloss.

The user interfaces of the configuration module 41, the upgrade module42, and the health monitoring module 43 may be provided directly on therecorder 4 in the form of a display and/or in the form of buttons on thehousing. However, it will in most cases be preferable to have a userinterface that is instead accessible by connecting a computer, such as alaptop computer, to the recorder 4.

The configuration module 41, the upgrading module 42, and the healthmonitoring module 43 may be implemented in hardware, firmware, orsoftware, or as a combination thereof.

Returning to FIG. 1 , the system 1 may also be equipped with a cameracheckout device 14 connected to the recorder 4 via the LAN 12. This maybe particularly useful if each user of the system does not have apersonal camera, but cameras may be shared among several users. Thecheckout device 14 may have a card reader, a tag reader, a pin pad, orany other means of identifying a user, e.g., a biometric identificationsystem. The docking station 3 may be provided with a lock, such as amagnetic lock or a mechanical lock interacting with a lock portion ofthe camera. When a user is identified, the recorder 4 may access a userdatabase to ascertain if the user is authorised to take a camera. Ifusers of the system are assigned to different user groups, such aspatrol officers and SWAT team, the recorder may ascertain which usergroup the user belongs to. Different user groups may have differentconfigurations for the camera. For instance, for one group of users, thecamera may record in stealth mode, whereas it does not for users ofanother group. Once it has been determined which group the user belongsto, the relevant configuration may be transferred from the recorder 4 toa designated camera 2 connected in the docking station 3. The recorder 4may choose which camera to designate, e.g., based on how long thecameras have been in the docking station, such that it may be ensuredthat the user will get a fully charged camera with empty local storage6. If the recorder 4 includes a health monitoring module 43, the choiceof designated camera may also be based on that the camera should be ingood health. When the designated camera 2 is ready for use, a lightindicator may be turned on next to the slot 31 in which that camera 2 isplaced or on the camera 2, telling the user which camera 2 to pick up.The recorder 4 may also send a signal to the designated camera 2, andupon receipt of that signal, the camera 2 will unlock the lock thatlocks the camera 2 in the slot 31. The locking and unlocking of the lockmay be performed over a specially designated pin in the connectioninterface between the camera 2 and the docking station, or the lockingand unlocking signal may be superimposed on the data signal carried byother pins used for data transfer and/or charging. When a camera 2 isreplaced in the docking station 3, it is once more locked in place andmay be automatically checked back in. It may in some instances be usefulto require the user to once more be identified when returning thecamera, such that it can be ensured that the same user checked thecamera out and back in. The recorder 4 may keep a log of users, and maykeep track of who has checked out a camera, when it was checked out andwhen it was returned. Such logs may be transferred, e.g., to the datamanagement system. It may be seen that checkout and check-in of camerasmay be performed by the recorder 4 and the camera 2, not requiring anyintelligence in the docking station 3.

If such a checkout function is used, two further steps may be added inthe method illustrated in FIG. 3 . Thus in step S6, the camera is lockedin the docking station, and in step S7, the camera is checked out andunlocked.

It will be appreciated that a person skilled in the art can modify theabove described embodiments in many ways and still use the advantages ofthe invention as shown in the embodiments above. As an example, thecamera 2 may be divisible, such that the battery and the local storagedevice are arranged in a part that can be removed from the remainingcamera. Thereby, a battery/storage part that needs recharging and datadumping may be placed in the docking station, and be replaced by anotherbattery/storage part that has been charged and data dumped, such thatthe camera is immediately ready for new use. It is also possible to haveonly the battery or the local storage device in a removable part of thecamera, or to have the battery and the local storage in separateremovable parts. With such arrangements, charging of the battery may beperformed separate from data transfer.

The camera may be provided with a Bluetooth interface for communicationwith, e.g., equipment in a police car, thereby enabling automatictriggering of recording for instance when sirens of the car are switchedon. The camera may also be equipped with a Wi-Fi or cellular networkinterface for communication with a mobile phone or PDA used by thepolice officer. This may for example enable viewing of recently recordedvideo data, as well as manual tagging of such video data with notes madeby the police officer.

Further, the camera may be provided with a geographic location system,such as a GPS system Thereby, a location of the camera may bedetermined. This may be used for tagging captured data, and could alsobe used for locating a camera if it is lost or if the user has notreported back when expected.

Thus, the invention should not be limited to the shown embodiments butshould only be defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a docking stationconfigured to receive a body worn camera, wherein the docking stationincludes a docking station housing, and a recorder having a recorderhousing, wherein the recorder is physically separate from and housedseparately from the docking station, wherein the docking stationcomprises a data interface configured to connect the camera to thedocking station and to receive captured data, generated by and stored inthe camera, through the data interface from the camera, wherein thedocking station comprises a first network interface configured toconnect the docking station to the recorder and to send the captureddata through the first network interface to the recorder, wherein therecorder comprises a second network interface configured to connect therecorder to the docking station and to receive the captured data throughthe second network interface from the docking station, wherein therecorder comprises a recorder storage device configured to store thecaptured data, wherein the recorder is configured to retrieve thecaptured data from the camera through the data interface, the firstnetwork interface, and the second network interface and to store thecaptured data in the recorder storage device, wherein the recordercomprises a third network interface configured to transfer the captureddata stored in the recorder storage device to a data management system,and wherein the recorder comprises a camera configuration module forconfiguring operational parameters of the camera, wherein the recorderis configured to transfer a configuration of the operational parametersthrough the second network interface of the recorder and the firstnetwork interface of the docking station and through the data interfaceto the camera.
 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the recorderis physically separate from and housed separately from the dockingstation such that the recorder and the recorder housing are configuredto be placed in a separate room from the docking station and the dockingstation housing.
 3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the secondnetwork interface and the third network interface are configured asphysically separate components.
 4. The system according to claim 2,wherein the first network interface and the second network interface arewired interfaces for connecting the docking station to the physicallyseparate and separately housed recorder.
 5. The system according toclaim 2, wherein the docking station provides only necessary interfacesand connectors for allowing transfer of data from the camera to therecorder.
 6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the dockingstation includes a lock to lock the camera into the docking station. 7.The system according to claim 6, wherein the recorder is configured tosend a lock signal or an unlock signal through the second networkinterface, to the first network interface of the docking station, tolock or unlock the camera in the docking station.
 8. The systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the recorder is configured to determine auser and send the lock signal or unlock signal based on the user.
 9. Thesystem according to claim 1, further comprising the camera, wherein: thecamera comprises a chargeable battery, and the docking station comprisesa charging interface for charging the camera battery, the dockingstation is configured to house several body worn cameras, and therecorder comprises a health monitoring module for monitoring a chargestatus for each of the several body worn cameras.
 10. The systemaccording to claim 9, wherein: the recorder is configured to select oneof the several body worn cameras for a user based on the charge statusfor each of the several body worn cameras, and the docking stationincludes an indicator light and is configured to indicate the one of theseveral body worn cameras selected with the indicator light.
 11. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the recorder is configured todetermine a user and to determine the configuration of the operationalparameters based on the determined user and transfer the configurationof the operational parameters to the body worn camera.
 12. A systemcomprising: a docking station configured to receive a body worn camera,wherein the docking station includes a docking station housing, and arecorder having a recorder housing, wherein the recorder is physicallyseparate from and housed separately from the docking station, whereinthe docking station comprises a data interface configured to connect thecamera to the docking station and to receive captured data, generated byand stored in the camera, through the data interface from the camera,wherein the docking station comprises a first network interfaceconfigured to connect the docking station to the recorder and to sendthe captured data through the first network interface to the recorder,wherein the recorder comprises a second network interface configured toconnect the recorder to the docking station and to receive the captureddata through the second network interface from the docking station,wherein the recorder comprises a recorder storage device configured tostore the captured data, wherein the recorder is configured to retrievethe captured data from the camera through the data interface, the firstnetwork interface, and the second network interface and to store thecaptured data in the recorder storage device, and wherein the recordercomprises a third network interface configured to transfer the captureddata stored in the recorder storage device to a data management system.13. The system of claim 12, wherein the docking station includes a lockto secure the body worn camera to the docking station.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the docking station is configured to house severalbody worn cameras; wherein the docking station includes several locks,wherein each lock is configured to secure a corresponding body worncamera to the docking station; and wherein the recorder is configured todetermine a user and send an unlock signal, based on the user, to unlockone of the several body worn cameras.
 15. The system of claim 13,wherein the recorder is configured to send an unlock signal through thesecond network interface, to the first network interface of the dockingstation, to unlock the body worn camera in the docking station.
 16. Thesystem according to claim 12, wherein the recorder is configured todetermine a user and to determine a configuration of operationalparameters based on the determined user and transfer the configurationof the operational parameters to through the second network interface ofthe recorder and the first network interface of the docking station andthrough the data interface.
 17. The system according to claim 12,wherein the recorder comprises a health monitoring module for monitoringa charge status for the body worn camera.
 18. The system according toclaim 12, further comprising several body worn cameras, wherein: thedocking station is configured to handle the several body worn cameras;the recorder is configured to select one of the several body worncameras for a user based on the charge status for each of the severalbody worn cameras, and the docking station includes an indicator lightand is configured to indicate the one of the several body worn camerasselected with the indicator light.
 19. The system of claim 12, whereinthe recorder comprises a camera configuration module for configuringoperational parameters of the camera, wherein the recorder is configuredto transfer a configuration of the operational parameters through thefirst network interface and the second network interface to the dockingstation and through the data interface to the camera.